


Make Up And Kiss Already (Literally)

by DonnyIsHungry09



Category: Hellboy (Movies 2004-2008)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, John Being an Asshole, Liz never got pregnant, M/M, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Humor, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teasing, Violence, im not educated enough with folklore, john being distant, people fighting over John, some made up lore because I'm stupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-07-11 14:08:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19929322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonnyIsHungry09/pseuds/DonnyIsHungry09
Summary: When John comes back after two years in Antarctica, he tries to forget his feelings for Hellboy. He even goes as far as to try and cut Hellboy out of his personal life, but when Hellboy makes him talk and he's told that John 'used' to like him, he eventually comes to terms with his own feelings as well, and begins to test the waters a bit. His plans are soon put on hold when John gets badly injured by a Werewolf, causing Hellboy to become the drama queen he was born to be- No, but seriously, his protective instincts kick into overdrive after the incident.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I was looking through my unfinished works (Which is a jungle of fanfic of different fandoms and genres) and found this from the middle of 2018... Most of my fanfics go unpublished because I don't have faith in them at all. Anyways, enjoy!

Hellboy found himself pacing back and forth in his father's old library, he only stopped when Abe had asked him to turn the pages for him. For Abe, it was all too obvious to know what Hellboy was feeling. It was the face that gave it away, the glare that could scare any creature into submission, that and how he could read (More like feel) what Hellboy was feeling. Hellboy furrowed his brow as he sat in his favorite chair, which happened to be the only chair that could hold his weight. Hellboy simply sighed and shrugged him off. 

“Or not, I suppose” Abe said as he slowly glided through the water and towards the glass.

“I guess everything isn’t going as planned?” Abe said, not bothering to open his eyes and look at him as he drifted through his tank. “What gave it away?” Hellboy said with a low and gruff voice as he forced a small grin. A moment of silence went by as Abe tried to think of what to say, after all, Hellboy's not-so-happy ‘friend’ came back from Antartica just a few weeks ago.

**\---2 and a half weeks earlier - JM POV---**

John had just gotten off the plane when he spotted the familiar ‘Garbage truck’ pull up to the side of the building. He tried to play it off and pretend not to see it. ‘They’ll go away… Maybe’ He thought to himself as he walked up to a taxi, hoping that Liz wasn’t going to pop out of nowhere and drag him into the truck. Luckily for him, she didn’t. 

On his way back to the Bureau he decided to stop and go visit his favorite coffee shop, Cory`s Coffee. He may not have liked the name, but he sure did like the coffee. He always thought that they made it in a way where other coffee shops just… Couldn’t. 

“I knew you’d come here first.” 

Crap… The one of the two people he _didn’t_ want to see... Liz. She was sitting at a small round table that was fairly close to the entrance. He wanted to act like he didn’t hear or see her, but he knew that wouldn’t work for a second time today. “So” There was a long pause before she decided to speak again. “You haven’t talked to Red since it happened, huh?” John tensed up at the thought of him, the person who sent him away to Antarctica over the girl who was currently sitting in front of him. How is he supposed to react when he sees him next time? Will Hellboy still be mad? “Please, don’t bring that up. Whatever happened in the past, stays in the past.” John tried his best to keep his poker face, and surprisingly, it worked. 

“I didn’t mean-” Before Liz could even finish her sentence, John had sat down across from her and sighed loudly. “You see, I just got back from a frozen wasteland, I would like to warm up a bit before I do anything else.” he said as he leaned back with a small smile. Liz quickly joined in as a small smirk crossed her face “It already feels better with you back.”

After a couple of minutes of chatting and catching up, they decided that it was time to go back. John wasn’t overly fond of going back, he was already informed that he was going to be Hellboy's liaison again. Something he wasn’t really looking forward to. He may have missed the red lug, but he just couldn’t get over what had happened between the two of them. His stomach churned as he saw the black car pull up to the front of the coffee shop. “Gotta face your fears, am I right?” He said quietly to himself. 

“He doesn’t know, John, About… You. Coming back, I mean.”

John couldn’t help but feel worse after hearing that. ‘Hellboy doesn’t know? Great… This can only end one way, and I have a feeling that it’s not gonna be good.’ After paying for the small coffees that he had bought for himself and Liz, he walked outside and got in the car. Liz got in a second after him and poked his shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Red just needs… Time to realize what you mean to him.” She gave him a small reassuring smile, but that only made John confused. “What do you mean by that?” Liz only smiled and turned to look out the window. 

The rest of the ride was in an awkward silence, at least for John it was.  _ ‘To realize what you mean to him.’  _ The words repeated in his head over and over. What does she mean by that? ‘I mean, she could mean friendship? Right?’ But of course, he knew she didn’t mean that. ‘Then what did she mean?’ His thoughts were interrupted when Liz tugged at his shirt. “Did you hear me? We’re here, it’s time to go.” 

“O-okay. Do I get my old room back, or do I get a new one?” He said as he got out of the car. His heart was pumping a mile a minute, he was surprised that no one could hear it. ‘If he’s still mad at me, then okay. I’ll just tell him how it is! He doesn’t want to be friends? Fine, then I’ll just-’ His thoughts were cut off when Liz chuckled and patted him on the shoulders. “Relax, it’ll be the same as before… Maybe? Just follow me.” She said as she turned and walked into the building. As the doors opened, a rush of air that smelled of coffee and paper and something else that was eerily familiar hit his nose. 

He followed Liz to the center of the room where she stopped and stood on a symbol that looked like a hand holding a sword. Of course, John already knew that this was the only way (For the more normal looking agents) to enter and leave as they please. As he waited for the elevator to get to where they needed to go, he looked around to see if anything had changed. Nothing. Nothing had changed, everything is the same as before. Except that he maybe saw some new faces, other than that, everything was the same. When the elevator finally stopped and Liz started to walk, John followed. He wasn’t at all prepared to face Red. Not once, while he was in Antarctica, did he think that he’d be placed back where he started. Back where…. Hellboy was. Home. For John, these people were family, heck, they saved the world together! Yet… Hellboy just, threw him away like he was nothing.

“Where’s my room?” John asked, trying not to think about what happened. 

“Same place as before. We cleaned it up for ya.” Liz gave him a pat on the back and left him to do his own thing. 

On his way to his room, he saw men carrying boxes of what he assumed to be his stuff, to his room. “Great, gotta unpack once again.” He said to himself quietly. He waited for the men to carry the last box in and placing it somewhere before stepping in. Looking around, he saw the blank room and a strange feeling flowed through him as he sat down on the neatly made bed. 

He really missed this place, and everyone here, Hellboy included. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget Hellboy, or forgive him. “That’s it. I can’t wait for a fairytale happy ending that’s never going to happen- He wanted me gone in the first place, so why worry about him at all?” He abruptly stood up and furiously opened the box marked ‘clothes’ and started to unpack.

\---

After finishing up with unpacking, which surprisingly didn’t have any disruptions, he decided to go walk around and say ‘Hi’ to some old faces. First, he stopped by the library and tried his best not to think about Hellboy. As he pushed open the golden door, the first thing he saw was Liz leaning against the desk, with Hellboy standing in front of her. He didn’t see Hellboy's face, but he did get an eyeful of his broad back. Those muscles rippling as he turned slightly to look over his shoulder. “John?” Hellboy had said before fully turning around.

He immediately regretted going here. “O-oh, I’m sorry! I was just going to pop in and say hi to Abe-” He said as he turned around and made a beeline back to his room. ‘Not sure if I just caught them in a compromising situation, or if… ugh, what else could that have been!?’ John was quickly ripped from his thoughts as a large arm wrapped around his shoulder. 

“John, I didn’t know you were coming back! Why didn’t ya tell us?” Hellboy said, completely ignoring how stiff and uncomfortable John looked. Liz was leaning against the door frame, she didn’t look surprised in the slightest, but the way she talked made it seem like Red hated him or something. ‘Wow, she made it sound like he was holding a grudge or something…’ He thought to himself. “Uh, I actually did… I called ahead of time once they told me about the transfer-” John was cut off when Liz came up from the side and cleared her throat, letting them know she had something to say. 

“We thought it would be best if you didn’t know, because of the whole thing about you being the one to send him away” She trailed off, ignoring the glare she got from Hellboy. “We?” Hellboy said with a deep voice, looking at Liz, then at John who was trying to get out from under his arm. John had to push Hellboy's arm away to get out, and when he did, Hellboy only looked at him confused, like he didn’t understand why he was being so distant. “You see, when  _ you _ sent me away to  _ Antarctica _ , I saw that as a message telling me to get out of your life. For good.” Johns answer was short and dry, like he’d stopped caring once the subject was brought up. 

“I- What?” Is all Hellboy could say. John felt his anger rising, and he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because the guy who sent him away to another continent, is acting like it never happened! He felt the emotions come back all at once. He felt like punching him square in the face, but he also felt like kissing him. ‘No, those feelings are long dead.' He said firmly in his mind to try and convince himself that he was in control. “‘Scout, you don’t honestly think I-”

“Two years…” John said as he clenched and unclenched his hands rhythmically.

“Uhm, why don’t we discuss this somewhere more private?” Liz jumped in, trying to help control the outcome of what was sure to be an argument between her two friends, only to be ignored. John looked Hellboy right in the eye, and made sure he conveyed his feelings, all the hurt and sadness he felt, as he spoke. “If you think that I will gladly pretend that nothing happened, and that we’ll be friends after  _ two years _ of being in a freezing wasteland, then no. I won’t forgive you. Never. I’m a new person, I’ve changed… And you know what? That’s all because of you! Thank you Hellboy, for making me realize that you can't always trust anyone. No matter how close you thought they were." With that, he stormed off, not wanting to hear what Hellboy had to say. 

**\---A FEW HOURS LATER - HB POV---**

After basically being shoved back to his room by Liz, he decided to sulk in his bed for the past two and a half hours. To know that he was the reason why John felt that way, to know that he doesn’t want to go back to how they were before-- His tail was limp against the blankets, and he only sat up when the door opened to reveal Liz peeking her head into the room “Hey Red? I got someone for you?”

“Tell ‘em I ain’t in the mood for what they got.” Hellboy said as he laid back down, not bothering to cover his bare chest. 

“Not even for a simple apology?” Myers said as he walked in, making Red sit up once again. Hellboy wanted to say something, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, not even a snarky little joke or comment. “I’ll you two at it.” Liz said as she left, closing the vault door behind her. Red sat at the edge of his bed, looking at everything except for John. 

“Look, I’m sorry for saying that stuff. I said it out of anger, and half of it didn’t make sense, so there’s no need to actually think about what I said-” He trailed off a little bit as he fidgeted with his shirt, cleaning off a stain that wasn’t there. “Point is-- You didn’t deserve that, and I’m sorry. It was totally unprofessional of me to do so-” 

“Unprofessional? So, are you doing this to make the job easier, or do you actually mean it?” He felt his heart drop as John looked him straight in the eyes, with a stone cold face and said “It’s for the job.” Once he saw John getting ready to leave he stood up, made his way to the door and leaned against it, keeping him from leaving. “You came here to talk, so talk. I’m not taking this emotionless act right now. Spill it. Now.” He demanded, trying to seem more in control than he really was.

**\--JM POV--**

He tried reading Johns face, but it gave nothing away. ‘Damn Myers. Why do ya always have to be so difficult.’ 

“You wanna talk? Okay, about what? You choose, because I want this over with.” He said as he leaned against the table, looking at Hellboy. He was trying his best not to show what he felt on the inside, and he was doing a good job too, or so he thought.

“This act you’re putting up? It’s cute. Really.” Hellboy made the sentence drip with sarcasm so he could at least try and make John actually talk. On the other hand, John was freaking out. He didn’t want to talk about this. He didn’t want to reveal how hurt he was by the others actions. He just wanted this to be done and over with so he can forget it. He knew that in order to make Red understand why he felt this way, he’d have to tell him how he actually felt about him, and he was not prepared to get punched in the face for that. 

“Look, I thought you guys were my new family, at the time. I thought this place would be my home away from home. I thought we were friends- and by we, I mean you and me. Everyone else was sad to see me go, except you, the one who sent me off.” John stopped with the mask, and he looked away as he felt a slight sting in his eyes. “I just want you to understand, you made me separate with the few friends I had here. I was a fresh transfer from Quantico too, so I had no one until I came here...” John swallowed as he looked Hellboy in the eyes. If he was dead set on cutting Hellboy out of his personal life, then what’s the harm in letting him know of these feelings he once had for him? If he does tell him, that’ll surely break whatever was left of their  _ “friendship” _ . 

“You know, the funny thing is…” He pushed himself off of the table, and was ready for the shitstorm that he thought would come after the truth was told. So what if he got hit? At least they wouldn’t talk to each other anymore, right? He still has Abe and Liz, he could also make friends with the new coworkers here. He doesn’t  _ need _ Hellboy, he knows that for a fact, but the thing is, he  _ wants _ him. He’s wanted him ever since he saw him. Those feelings started to develop when he first read the comic. Over time he’d forgotten about it, until he got transferred to this Bureau and met him for real. That’s when the feelings came back and solidified. 

John was so lost in his own thoughts, that he completely forgot about Hellboy. He was quickly brought back to reality when he felt something touch his ankle. When he looked up, hellboy was standing next to him. His tail had curled around Johns ankle. 

“You were saying?” Hellboy said with a small smirk, as he leaned in closer, basically hovering over Johns shoulder.

“What- Oh yeah…” John looked away, a little embarrassed that he was so easily distracted and caught off guard. “Uh, I was saying that- that I used to have…” He thought for awhile of what to say next, knowing that Hellboy wouldn’t accept it either way, but he could make the reaction less violent if he explained it in a certain way. Make it seem less important.

Before John could get any other words out, Hellboy just chuckled and casually placed his arm over Johns shoulder. “I can see that this is kind of difficult for you” He paused, looking at John, waiting for any kind of objection. None. “So why don’t we bust outta here and, ya know, go get some beers? You’d be more relaxed, then we can talk?” 

Considering the circumstances, he should. Open area, beer, a relaxed environment and mood? Seems perfect, except for the fact that by the time John got to wherever they were going to meet, he’d most likely already decided to chicken out. “This is something I have to tell now…”  _ While I still have the guts to do so _ , he added in his head. Hellboy nodded his head and gestured to John “Okay then?”

He took in a deep breath and got ready for any outcome he could think of. Well, not any. Some of those would never happen. Just imagine, with a simple ‘Hellboy, I love you’ they’d end up kissing, lips entangled with the other, Hellboy's rough flesh hand roaming the inside of his pants. John having his pants tugged off as he mapped out Hellboy's chest with his own hands. Hellboy’s kisses going to his neck, slowly moving lower with each kiss. John blushed deeply at the thought, but pushed it away and kept his stare focused on an orange tabby cat that was currently curled up and having a nap.

“HB, I have-” He paused before correcting himself “I used to have f-feelings for you… I used to like you.” He didn’t bother to look at him. He couldn’t bring himself to, he was too afraid. When he finally looked up, he saw that Hellboy was no longer looking at him. John jumped a bit when Hellboy suddenly turned and faced him once more, but he noticed that there was a bit more space between them now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellboy still isn't as sure about how he feels, but he's willing to try it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there are going to be a lot of problems in the next chapter. That's a warning. Okay, so there is a quick tiny warning/spoiler about the next chapter in the note at the end, so skip it if ya want next chapter to be a fresh ice water bath punch to the face.

Myers looked scared, like he was expecting something bad to happen. Did he really think I’d hate him over that? ‘It’s more of a compliment than anything. Someone like Myers liking someone who looked like me?’ He thought to himself. “So… You like me? As in-” He gestured to his face and horns as he watched John nod with a slight blush. Hellboy still couldn’t understand how someone so ‘By the book’ like John would like him. Gender didn’t matter, but he was basically 7 feet tall, and he has red skin. He has horns and a tail for crying out loud! ‘Why-- No,  _ how  _ does he like me?’ He questioned in his mind.

Before he could think of anything else, Myers answered again. “Yes… That’s why it hurt so much when you sent me away over a girl I didn’t even like” Hellboy felt a tinge of guilt flow to his stomach. If he’d have known, then none of this would have happened. “Why didn’t you just tell me ‘Scout?” Myers looked at him like he just said something stupid. “You were with Liz, and there was no telling if you would have taken it seriously or not, that and I didn’t know if you’d get-” Hellboy cut him off with a long sigh “You thought I’d do something dumb?” This time, it was ‘Scouts turn to sigh “You already did something dumb, and no, I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say violent.”

There was a long silence between them as John made his way to the door again. Hellboy wanted to stop him, but he didn’t know what to do even if he did. “Myers-” He was going to ask him to stay, but John had cut him off “Hellboy, look, I hope you do understand why I’ve been acting like this now, but how about we just” Hellboy stood up and watched closely as John opened the door “Pretend none of this happened?” Hellboy could only nod as he watched John leave.

**\---**

The next day at the BPRD John had gotten stuck in a meeting and wasn’t able to deliver Red’s breakfast. That being said, Hellboy had a random agent in his room with a cart of food. Well, random isn’t really the word. He met this agent before, his name was Donovan L. Summers. He knew this agent pretty well actually, went on missions together pretty often. They were cool enough to have small talk, mostly about anything. “So, how are you doing? We haven’t really had a mission in a while.” The agent said while putting the plates and bowls of food on the table, stepping around all the cats. 

“What else can I say other than bored?” Hellboy said with a stretch.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” The agent casually leaned against the vault door, sighing. “Haven’t been doing too well, myself” Hellboy looked at him with confusion as he picked up the bowl of sausage gravy “What, ya girl dump you again?” He chuckled, not caring about the glare he received from the other agent. “I swear Red, Do you not believe me when I say I’m a chick magnet? Besides,  _ I  _ dumped  _ her,  _ that was like, weeks ago.” Hellboy let out a low laugh “yeah, you believe what you wanna believe” 

“That hurt Red, really” Summers covered his heart with his hand in a mock gesture of sadness. “Anyways, you find anyone” The agent eyed the half demon closely before finishing his sentence “New?” Hellboy almost choked on a spoon full of gravy when he heard the man. He had a certain person in mind, but he wasn’t sure enough about himself to actually say yes. “Where the hell did that come from?” He asked as he took a gulp of his orange juice to stop the coughing. “I’ll take that as a no” The agent snickered “I knew it” He was clearly using that line as bait to draw out the truth, knowing Hellboy wouldn’t realize until it was too late “What is that supposed to mean? And I do, just so you know.” Hellboy grinned, feeling as if he surprised the man.

The agent hummed in response and pushed himself off of the door. “And how does she feel about you?” Summers wiggled his eyebrows. Hellboy chuckled, thinking of how he is most likely a bad influence on this agent “Sorry, but that’s classified info.” Hellboy finally moved onto the last plate of food, ignoring the grin he got from Summers. “She works here doesn’t she?” Hellboy knew he gave the answer away once he choked on his food again. He downed the rest of his drink and looked over at the agent. “No, where did you get that idea?” He said, trying to cover his tracks. “Obviously, you barely leave this place unless there are really dangerous missions, and I’ve seen you out more the last couple of days. It doesn’t take Sherlock to figure that out, plus your face gave it away.” Summers said as he began to pack up the empty plates and silverware. ‘Damn, need to work on that’ he thought. 

“Okay, let’s say they do work here, what would I have to do to make them understand that I like them back?” Hellboy still wasn’t so sure about how he felt, but he at least wanted to make Myers understand that he didn’t hate him, quite the opposite actually. Maybe.

“I would say be yourself, but in this case, and I mean no harm when I say this, you might not want to do that. With my expertise, I give my professional advice... Woo her.” He paused and let out a short laugh “ And don’t be annoying with it either, no offense.” 

“None taken” Hellboy said, making sure to emphasize the sarcasm within that sentence. 

**\--JM POV--**

John finally left the conference room and stretched as he made his way down the hall. The meeting wasn’t as important as they made it out to be, just that there would be some new faces coming in today, both employees and ‘monsters’ as Mannings put it. John barely listened throughout the whole meeting. He occasionally chimed in, but to be honest, it went in one ear and out the other. If he was asked to summarize that meeting, he just couldn’t. 

John was making his way to his room when he noticed Liz making her way down the hall as well. Liz had stopped him right when he was going to turn down another hall. “Hey John, do you have time to talk?” He really didn’t have anything to do after the meeting, so yeah. He nodded and followed when Liz started to walk. If his memory was correct, they way they took would lead to the library, which he was happy about. He really hasn’t been here or said hi to Abe yet. Once they got there, Liz smiled and greeted Abe, who was in his tank swimming around. “Long time no see” He greeted happily. 

“Indeed John, we have missed you quite a bit” John mentally scoffed at that. Everyone but Hellboy missed him, which was understandable. Abe was quiet for awhile before giving a knowing smirk “Even Hellboy” John frowned at that, knowing that abe just read his mind. “It’s rude to intrude on other people’s thoughts, you know?” He said, not trying to hide the small smile that started to grow on his face. “So, how are you two doing?” Liz said as she sat down in a small brown chair. “Uh, we’re doing… Fine?” He said before sighing “You already know don’t you Abe?” He slumped down into another chair. 

“Yes,and before you have a chance to protest, I must say that what you did was really brave” He said with a smirk. 

John looked over at Liz “I’m also guessing he told you?” Liz shook her head “All I know is how you feel about him. Abe only had a small chance to read you before you left in a hurry, after I went back, he pulled me aside and told me what you were feeling- I mean, I kinda always knew. It wasn’t a surprise to me, because I already had my theories.” She was currently staring at the floor, and avoiding John’s eyes. 

“And you’re okay with that?” John was confused. Liz  _ knew _ and didn’t show any signs of caring. Her  _ boyfriend  _ is his crush, and she knows but doesn’t care? “Of course I’m fine with it. You can’t help who you fall in love with, whether they be a boy or girl-” Liz was cut off by John who laughed a little at her response. “No, not me liking a guy.  _ Me _ liking  _ your boyfriend _ ?”

Liz laughed for a solid minute and wiped away a few tears “Ha, no. John we broke up like a week after you were sent away.” 

“But- In the Library” This time Abe was the one to cut someone off “They may not be dating anymore, but Hellboy still likes to cuddle” He said with a watery chickle. Liz nodded “He doesn’t look like it, but he’s a cuddle bug” John gave a quick glance at the clock and sighed when he saw that it was already 12, he decided to just go get ready “Well, I have to go. The new people are supposed to be here in an hour” 

“If you ever need to talk about anything, or even need help with Red, I’m here” Liz said with a smirk and winked. John only laughed as he made his way out.

Liz looked back at Abe who was grinning “I thought we would tell him about how Hellboy felt as well?” Abe only swam around as he replied, “I think we should let them sort it out on their own, plus it would be a lot more fun to watch as well.” 

**\--HB POV--**

It was almost 1 when Hellboy looked at the clock, and he still hasn’t seen ‘Scout at all. He’s been thinking about him all day, especially about what he would do with the whole ‘woo him’ thing. He had talked to Liz about it and she told him to be subtle about it ‘Like she actually believed  _ I _ could do that’ He scoffed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. 

He was mindlessly roaming when he thought of the perfect idea. It was just the right amount of subtly. Hellboy turned and made his way to the kitchen, he had a good idea of how Myers would react. “Such a simple task, and he’ll be happy over it too?” He questioned himself but shrugged as he pushed open the door.

**\--20 MINUTES LATER--**

Okay, so this wasn’t as simple as he thought. “How the hell do I make coffee with this thing?” He grumbled as he took off his coffee soaked shirt and threw it over his shoulder, not caring to look when he hears a loud noise. ‘How did this even happen?’ he questioned in his mind but mentally shrugged. He looked over to the clock “Shit, it’s already 1:18” He hissed as he grabbed another cup to try once more. “Uh, do I want to know what you’re doing here?” He turned to see one of the chefs. He grinned and shrugged as he placed the cup under the coffee maker “Looks like I’m making coffee, doesn’t it”

The chef only crossed her arms and sighed “I was already told of your little crush, Hellboy.” Hellboy froze, and slowly turned to face her, finally recognizing her as Tracy Hamilton. “Donny told you?” 

Tracy smiled and giggled while shooing him away from the machine to take over. “Yeah, he also told me that you got it bad for her” She said while she pressed some buttons, giving him a smug look. “Smartass” He rolled his eyes when she pinched his arm. “Remember how you used to always get Liz stuff she liked?” Hellboy nodded “Well, since you guys are over, and the new people are already here, I had a hunch that you might be circling someone else, that and Donny told me that you were going to woo her” She handed the cup of coffee to him and pointed to the basket full of sugar, creamer and other stuff. 

Hellboy just walked over to the basket and picked through it. He really had to tell them that he wasn’t chasing after some girl in a skirt, but that will be very awkward. “Uh, look” He said, back facing the chef “I’m not really ‘circling’ a girl.” He poured some sugar into the coffee and added creamer, Myers usually puts a crap load of this in his coffee ‘From what I remember’ a small wave of guilt hit him when he thought of sending him away.

“So you lied to Summers about having a crush?” Hellboy turned and faced her and let out a small chuckle “I’m not finished” Tracy raised her hands in defense as she leaned against the table. Hellboy took one of those thin popsicle sticks and stirred the coffee around. “Ya see, I’m not chasin after a girl, I’m chasing after a guy” He watched closely as she thought. He was looking for a negative reaction, though he didn’t care about how people who worked here thought of him, he was scared of what they would think about John if this really happened. If they actually got together- “So, who is it? Who’s this crush of yours” Tracy smiled and poked his arm.

“You’re not mad?” He blinked. He didn’t mean to say that, but it just came out. “Why would I be? This doesn’t affect me in the slightest, unless you like the same person as me” She joked. Hellboy shrugged and set the cup down as he went to find his shirt. “Well, not everyone can be as cool as you about stuff like this” He picked his shirt up and threw it on a cart “Hey, that’s nasty. Food goes there!” Tracy said as she snatched the shirt off the cart and gave Red a quick glare. “Send that to my nanny, will ya?” He grinned as he walked out.

**\--JM POV--**

It was 1:21 when John got to the room full of new faces. On the list of new recruits there were about 30 names, and on the list of ‘Creatures’ there were names and pictures to go with it. He saw his name on the list and sighed. He didn’t need a speech about how dangerous this place was, he already knew what to do “And that’s why you’re the one giving the speech.” Abe said as he waved. 

John smiled and waved as well “I was never told that” he scratched the back of his neck as he leaned against the wall. When he looked around, some of the people in the room looked afraid, their eyes darting from Abe to John, others looked completely unfazed. “I was sent here to tell you.” He looked back at Abe who had turned and was already making his way to the exit. John sighed and walked into the room, sitting down at the head of the table, waiting for everyone to sit. 

**\--ABOUT 30 MINUTES INTO THE MEETING--**

John was just about done when the door opened. He really hoped that wasn’t someone who was late. He didn’t feel like explaining all of this again, and he already told the rest of the group who’s going to nanny who. The room went quiet, so he decided to say something “If you’re late, talk to me after and I’ll explain what you need to do” He said without turning around. He was picking up all the papers from the table when heard a gruff laugh that came from the door “Didn’t know I was nanny, Boyscout”. John turned around in his seat, only to see a shirtless Hellboy standing in the doorway. He sighed and looked at the others at the table “Meetings over, people. If you already have a room, go to it. If you don’t have one, go get one.” John watched as they all left in a hurry.

“Why do you smell like coffee, Hellboy?” He crossed his arms and looked up at Red. Hellboy shrugged “Well, I made you coffee of course” John couldn’t help but laugh. There wasn’t any coffee in sight, but he sure could smell it. “Tell me Red, where exactly is this coffee you’re so determined to give me?” John laughed even more when he saw Hellboy’s face. “Crap, it’s still in the kitchen” Hellboy scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously

“So, that explains why the coffee is missing, but why do you smell like one?” John leaned against the table and watched as Hellboy sputtered out random words before sighing in defeat “I tried to make coffee by myself, but I didn’t know what to do,” Hellboy gestured to his bare chest “it backfired and that’s why I’m shirtless” He trailed off a bit. John only laughed and stood up as he made his way to the door. 

**\--HB POV--**

Hellboy only smiled as he watched him walk away. When Myers stopped at the door, and turned to face him, he was also smiling. “Still wanna get me a coffee?” Hellboy nodded and made his way to the door as well “Sure thing ‘Scout. First, I gotta get me a shirt” 

**\--A few moments later--**

Hellboy pulled open the vault door with ease and gestured into the room with his right hand “Ladies first” He grinned. John glared at him but still walked in “Ha, that was easier than I thought? Does that mean I can call you princess now?” Hellboy laughed and John rolled his eyes as he leaned against the table “Ha ha, Red. Real funny.” Hellboy closed the door behind him and made his way to his closest. 

He can practically feel ‘Scouts eyes drilling a hole into his back. The idea of John staring so intently at him made him satisfied in a way, and hot in all the wrong places, at least for now in this situation. Wait- ‘Why am I feeling this way? I’m not even sure if I like him’ Hellboy sighed and tried to change the subject that was currently lingering in his head. “So, wanna come here tonight and watch uh…” He finally grabbed a black t-shirt and pulled it over his head, only to have it get caught on the stump of his horns. This would be a bit embarrassing if the other person in the room wasn’t someone he liked. “I hate when this happens” He mumbled. 

“Need some help?” Myers was already making his over, so there was no use in refusing. Hellboy bent down and smirked “You can try, princess” John pinched the side of his stomach and let out an evil chuckle when Hellboy winced a bit. “The way I see it, you’re stuck and I can do anything I want?” There was a questioning tone in there, but Hellboy wasn’t sure if he was supposed to respond or not. He didn’t have time to respond because John tugged the shirt over his horns and pulled it down over his stomach with a smile. “Anyways, let’s hurry and get coffee” 

On their way to the cafeteria, they had started a small conversation about all the new faces. “So, are there new freaks too?” Myers made a face at that word, but answered anyways “Yeah, I was assigning the more experienced transfers to be nannies” Hellboy nodded with a grin, “So, do you count as a newbie too? You gonna get a new freak to babysit?” John only stopped to face Red, his face suddenly went from a small smile to a cold expression. “Maybe” 

Hellboy’s heart dropped somewhere into his stomach when he heard that. “What- You’re not going to be my liaison anymore?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, I'm sorry AGAIN for the cliffhanger, but it's so fun to cut it off at a part like that, to keep y'all guessing on what's gonna happen next. Okay, so, to be fair, I will warn you. It may seem perfect now, but WHOO... Next chapter is going to bring y'all pain. Not really, but it will bring pain to out two main characters, now won't it?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit boring and all over the place since the only time I had to write it was dead at night, but okay- Don't mind any of the grammar or spelling errors (If there is any) because I was half asleep when I wrote this... Mostly.

“It’s not official yet, but they ultimately decided that we might not be the best at working together since,” He shuddered at the memories “you sent me away to Antarctica.” If he had to be honest, he wanted this to happen in the beginning, but now, after everything that happened since coming back, he feels like it was such a terrible thing to think. There might be something he can do since it isn’t quite set in stone yet. Maybe he could pitch the idea to Red as well.

When he finally looked back at Hellboy, he saw that he was no longer surprised or worried. He looked angry, like someone just killed his cats or insulted him about how he looks. His mouth was shut and the muscles in his jaw would flex every few seconds “Is there anything I could do” It sounded more like a demand than a question, but John had taken a few seconds to answer anyways “You could maybe show them that there are no hard feelings between us? That we _ are _ still friends?” That part came out more as a question, though he didn’t mean for it to sound like that. “We have some time since it officially gets decided on friday, and it’s only Sunday” He doubts that that idea will do anything at all, plus they only have four days left to prove that they can still work together. It’s worth a shot though, because in the end, John doesn’t want to be separated from Hellboy again. 

Hellboy grunted with a slight nod before grinning “Then why don’t we start now?” John was going to ask what he had in mind when he felt an arm snake around his waist. Suddenly he was lifted up and tossed over Hellboy’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but blush. “H-Hellboy!” He looked around to see if there were any other people that could possibly see them. “What are you doing?” He managed to say in the calmest voice he could muster. “We’re going on a date.” Red said casually as he started to walk down the hall. The key word ‘date’ completely flew over John's head, he was mostly focused on whether or not if someone saw them. 

**\--HB POV--**

The whole way to the library, John kept asking (more like screaming) to be put down, but he just ignored him. It was kind of cute, really. John’s face was almost as red as his, good to know that he gets embarrassed easily. He made sure to keep a mental note of that. As he opened the door, he saw Liz in a chair next to the tank. She looked up and chuckled at the sight of the two “What are you guys doing?” She said as she stood up. John was spitting out nonsense at this point, so Hellboy finally sat him down in a chair. “We need help with something” 

“And what is this  _ something _ ?” She looked at John, then back at Hellboy “Did you finally tell Joh-” Hellboy coughed and laughed nervously “No, not that” He dismissed quickly before moving on. “Well, I plan on going out tonight with John to have a few drinks, and uh” He offered a sheepish grin while Liz connected the dots. “You want me to cover?” She sounds like she heard this too many times, but luckily for him she nodded and smiled as something popped in her head “So Red... Do you plan on telling him?” She said with a shit eating grin. Hellboy sighed “Does no one understand what ‘maybe’ means? I never even agreed to do it-” 

“Do you want me to cover for you or not?” She said, never losing her grin. Hellboy sighed and walked over to the tank “Fine! I’ll get to it  _ after  _ you cover” He looked into the tank and knocked on the glass a few times, ignoring John’s questioning look. When he didn’t spot his blue friend, he turned and sighed, “He’s not here?” Liz only shrugged, not knowing. John spoke up as the blush finally went away “He went on a mission to retrieve a delicate and possibly magical item” Hellboy only smirked as he made his way to his father's old desk, “sounds boring” he said as he stretched his arms. 

“Well, you two come find me when you want me to cover” Liz suddenly got up with a big smile and sent a wink at HB “You guys should, you know… Talk” And with that, she left. Both John and Hellboy cursed under their breath, praying for her to be more subtle next time, not knowing it was directed to both of them. Without her there, they couldn’t seem to find anything to talk about. After her not so subtle way of giving them alone time, Myers had picked up a book from the table and started to read it, best way for him to avoid talking I guess? He looked so calm, but Hellboy could tell he wanted to ask some questions. “Hey Myers?” he said.

**\--JM POV--**

John was finally able to think clearly, now that the adrenaline was somewhat gone. Being picked up by your crush for no reason can do that to you. When he was in Hellboy’s arms, he thought about a million other things in that moment, like would this happen again, or does this mean he likes him, or- wait? One thing that flew right over his head was that little comment Hellboy had made, ‘We’re going on a date’ the sentence echoed in his head. John picked up a book and pretended to read it. He started to blush again at the thought, but he’d rather not let Red see it this time. He was pulled from his own thoughts when Hellboy said something he didn’t quite hear all the way. “What?” He said looking over at Hellboy, who was currently shrugging off his trench coat “I said are you okay? You been stuck on that same page for about fifteen minutes” Red slowly made his way to where John was and sat down on the floor, setting his arm on the small table to prop his head up. “Yeah, just tired I guess” An obvious lie, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

John couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Hellboy sitting criss cross applesauce on the floor like a child. “What are you laughing about?” HB said with a small grin as he took the book from John’s hands. He skimmed through the pages out of boredom and gestured for John to answer as he set it down on the table. “Nothing, just thought you looked like a child sitting like that” Hellboy chuckled for a few seconds before becoming more serious. John cleared his throat and sat in the awkward silence, waiting for someone to walk in, or for Hellboy to say something, or for literally anything to happen. Thankfully Hellboy decided to break the silence. “‘Scout” He said quietly, almost a whisper, “I was wondering if you-” The fact that Hellboy was nervous and hesitated, made John anxious all on its own. “If you would… ya know... would take a chance and-” before he could finish, the sirens were blaring and flashing, making them both smirk at each other. John so badly wanted to say ‘They’re playing our song’ but Hellboy was already making his way to the door, and- and-- was Hellboy blushing?

\--- 

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Red was going to say. If only the sirens didn’t go off right in the middle of his sentence… Maybe he shouldn’t have wished for anything to happen ‘be careful what you wish for, I guess’ He mentally shrugged and made his way to his room. 

John had met up with Liz in the hallway after getting ready. Liz was ecstatic to finally have a mission, which means  _ Hellboy _ might be going crazy right now. John was happy too, he hasn’t left the bureau the last couple of days, so of course he was ready to see the outside again. Once they made it to the loading area, they met up with Red and Abe, along with Mannings who had already started the briefing. Manning looked over at them “While I want to say it’s nice to have you back, you’re still late-” Hellboy cut in with a cheeky grin “By five minutes, but hey? Who’s counting?” 

Manning cleared his throat with a pointed glare at Red, “Anyways, there have been multiple attacks over the last few months resulting in 17 dead and 3 currently missing, possibly turned or not related to this case. Most likely not related since there was only one creature reported. anyways, the agents we have over there have told us about seeing a large creature about eight feet tall, usually hunched over, long tail, pointy ears-” He stopped and skimmed through the rest of the papers, too tired to read all of it again. “So far our team has made an educated guess and said that we are most likely dealing with a werewolf” John made a sound that could only be fascination. He’s always been into werewolves when he was little, always looking into the woods through the window of his room. He thought he’d find something if he stared long enough, but luckily he never did. Abe had let out a small chuckle, that’s when John realized he got a bit distracted. 

“Is it a Lycan or werewolf though?” John questioned casually. He didn’t think anything of it until they all stared at him (not including Abe) like he said something in a different language. “There’s a difference?” Hellboy said suddenly. “Well, yeah… Did you not know?” He felt the spotlight turn on him with that question. Who would’ve thought that he’d be teaching the actual guys (and girl) who catch the monsters, about, well- monsters… “Uhm, well-” He said, trying to think of the simplest way to explain it. “A Lycan is basically a werewolf, except for the shifting, and the fact that they are born that way.” For once, Hellboy actually didn’t know about this creature. It was cute. “Lycans don’t think like humans though, they are pure animal, while werewolves can think normally while in their other form, depending on how well they can control it” Abe nodded like this was all news to him, when obviously he already knew. Maybe he was impressed about how he explained it?

When John finished with a shrug and sheepish smile, Abe decided to add more “That was spot on, but you forgot some bits” Mannings was going to ask what, but Abe was already talking by the time he opened his mouth, “Lycans are much bigger than an average werewolf, faster to. They are stronger as well, so we have to watch out for that” He looked at Hellboy before continuing “Werewolves are the cause of when a person gets bitten or scratched by another werewolf or even a lycan. And before you even ask, Hellboy” He said with a sigh but managed to grin, “The reason why a Lycan can’t turn another person into a lycan is because lycan’s are pure blooded creatures, meaning that they are born that way, not turned. Though they are extremely rare today, so I doubt that’s what we’re dealing with?” 

Hellboy still looked confused, but Abe wasn’t going to go any further into it than that. “Okay, do whatever you have to do and get on the bus” Liz said impatiently. John just did what she said and waited inside for the others, Abe joining shortly after. Hellboy just rolled his eyes and sighed, “Why are you so ready to leave?” he said while picking up all his ammo. “I don’t want to be cooped up on that bus for too long, so let’s just get it over as soon as possible” Red chuckled and arched an eyebrow “Wait, how long is the ride going to be?” He asked. “8 and a half hours” She said with an angry undertone. The words almost made him cry. ‘8 freaking hours of doing nothing… Yay’ He thought.

**-HB POV-**

After handing off his stuff to a random agent to be packed somewhere in the back of the bus (Which happens to one of the big ones used for tours around the country) he made his way to where everyone else was. Upon entering the room that held the seats, he immediately felt his mood sour. He saw John currently sitting in between Abe and Liz, but that’s not the worst part. John was  _ holding _ Liz’s hand. ‘That traitor’ he thought. He knew she was doing this as some type of revenge for something he did, but he could care less about that, he was more interested in why the ‘Scout looked so damn happy and pleased about it. He didn’t know how to go about this situation. Right now, he had three ideas in his mind. One, he should pick John up and sit with him in the corner, two, he should talk with Liz and tell her to back off or three, just sit alone and be mad at both of them. Obviously, all of those are bad choices.

“Don’t be mad.” Came a familiar voice, Abe. “He just had a realization of how long this trip will take, and Liz jokingly grabbed his hand in mock comfort, leading to this” That made it a bit better, but it still bugged him on how much the squirt was smiling, maybe he could steal him later and finish what he was going to ask? “That seems like a good idea. Not too extreme or outlandish, even for you” Abe joked as he made his way to his seat. Hellboy stood there for a few seconds before moving towards them. Liz and John both looked up at him with smiles. Liz had a wicked grin as she rubbed John’s thumb with hers, but John didn’t seem to notice as he greeted HB. “So” Hellboy said awkwardly, trying not to glare at them. “So?” Liz chuckled out, “ _ So _ , do you want to finish our conversation from earlier, or?” He said ignoring her. John only shrugged as he got up. Liz wasn’t even trying to hide her goofy grin and thumbs up directed at him. Hellboy sent a glare at Liz while the Boyscout wasn’t looking ‘And she tells me to be subtle?’. “Goodluck” Liz said as they made their way to the back, near a door that was probably a small and sad excuse for a bathroom. He slightly heard Abe say something about courage, or something like that. Knowing him, he might be telling Liz everything he knows about the situation. 

“Sooo” John said as he sat down, avoiding any and all eye contact from Hellboy. He had a few ideas on what was about to happen, but he couldn’t help but be nervous. “Myers” He said, sitting down. “I wanted to know if you’d-” He took in a deep breath and sighed, “If you’d like to, ya know” he wiggled his eyebrows in an attempt to ease the mood a bit “take a chance and be with me?” He stared at John, waiting for an answer that hopefully might be yes. As John opened his mouth, Manning walked in, “Alright, time for another brief-” Hellboy suddenly had a strange feeling that the universe was just so against him being happy. “Oh come on!” He said as he turned to face Manning. “Don’t mind him” Liz said “He’s just cranky” She chuckled,

Hellboy grumbled under his breath as he made his way to the supply cart that Manning was currently using as a table, John following close behind. “I want you guys to know that this trip will take awhile, so rest up. I don’t need anyone dying during this mission. Other than that-” Liz cut in with a questioning look “You never even told us where we’re going yet.” Abe nodded and answered the question for her “We are going to the heart of Ohio” Hellboy just grunted as he made his way to a seat that looked like it was ripped out of a country diner and bolted to the wall, probably was considering how large it was, most likely they got it for him. 

John furrowed his brow and looked at Abe, knowing he already caught on to what he was thinking. “This is most likely a werewolf, considering the location. A single lycan would never have gone unnoticed over the span of months in a city, and it would have infected at least a few people, right?” Abe only stayed quiet, most likely collecting all the info that was spilling out of John’s mind. Hellboy was bored out of his mind, he just wanted to get going so he could kill some oversized mutt or at least finish talking to John. “So?” He said “So since this has been going on for so long, and no other werewolves have popped up, that means this person most likely has control over their werewolf form” Manning nodded, taking in all the info, rethinking his strategy. “Assuming this is correct, and this person does have control and they know what they’re doing, they might be killing people for a reason,” Abe said as he looked at Manning “that means we can’t afford to exterminate this person, we need to find out more. If we just kill them, another one will pop up somewhere else and who knows how long it’ll take us to find that one.” 

There was a tense few seconds before anyone even thought of speaking. “So, once we get there, I’ll tell you guys the new plan. For now, just relax and rest up for this fight. It might not be as easy as we thought”

**-Two hours into the drive-**

After the mildly long briefing, everyone settled in for the trip, wondering about how this would end. Maybe it was all a huge coincidence, maybe not? All they could do for now is sit and wait.

John was at the very back, on his phone. He would smile every once and a while and it made HB curious about what he was doing. Without much thought, he made his way over and sat down next to the squirt. “Whatcha doin?” He questioned, peeking at the agents phone. “Reading” He said quickly. Hellboy wasn’t satisfied by that answer, so he pushed for more, “Reading what?” he poked John on his side, making him squirm. John sighed and gave in as he looked at HB “I’m reading ‘Lord of The Flies’, you happy?” Hellboy was surprised at such an obvious lie. Anyone who’s ever read that book would know that a person shouldn’t ever smile while reading it. “That is a complete lie.” He stated. “W-what? No it’s not-” John’s face flushed at getting caught, “No, it is, and you wanna know how I know?” John never said anything, so he proceeded to talk. “Because that book is seriously depressing, and as cute as you are when you smile, any normal person would never smile while reading it.” Hellboy grinned at the face John made. He looked surprised and scared at the same time. It was satisfying. But before John could say anything about that statement, Red asked again “So, whatcha reading?”

John only sighed in defeat as he showed Hellboy his phone. He read the words- Which, for some reason had a very strange font- and stared back up at John for an explanation. “Fairy tail?” He said as he looked at John with an unimpressed and confused expression. “I-It’s basically a comic book, but not, and it comes from Japan-” He blurted out. ‘A comic book, but not a comic book? Yeah, cause that makes sense’. Hellboy just scoffed “Okay, I’m not going to jump any further down this rabbit hole” John laughed a bit as he shoved his phone in his pocket “It’s best not to...” 

**-JM POV-**

After maybe 40 minutes of idle chatter, they somehow move to the table at the back of the bus near the beds. John was in the middle of talking about his favorite comic books when he felt something touch his ankle. He almost jumped at the sudden contact, but he tried to play it off as a yawn. Surprisingly, he was successful. When he looked down, all he saw was Red’s tail right there at the base of his ankle, rubbing little circles. When he looked back up at Hellboy, he was just staring out the window like none of this was happening. With a sigh, Red turned and looked at John, “The sun is about ready to go down” John smirked, temporarily distracted from the soothing rub of Red’s tail, already knowing what he was going to say next.

“Are ya hungry?”

John was thoroughly surprised when Hellboy had asked him if he was hungry. Usually he would just ask if he could eat yet, but now he apparently cares if he eats or not? “Uh, yeah, but I don’t think they have food in here?” He said, still confused. “Trust me Boy Scout, they wouldn’t put me on a bus for 8 hours and not have food packed as well” A small smirk grew on both of their faces as Hellboy made his way to a mini fridge that was in the corner by another small table. He opened it to reveal a pack of beer, and loads of snacks. With his stone hand, he carefully grabbed all the snacks, and with his tail, he grabbed the pack of beer. Shutting the door, he turned and made his short journey back, making sure not to drop anything as well.

Hellboy carelessly dumped all of the stuff onto the table and sat down next to John, instead of across the table like before. Hellboy popped open a beer and took a small sip before offering one to John. Hellboy let out a sigh as he began to talk “So much for sneaking out and having a fun time”John let out a small chuckle as he took the offered drink, only to set it aside and grab a bag of chips. “Well, we can still do that once we get to Ohio. We just have to be careful” He knew that it’s his job to keep him out of sight during missions and all, but what’s a little fun gonna do, right? If he can just find a place to go where no one will see them, they can hang out and maybe-

Red scooted a bit closer, “So, Myers” before John could do anything, Red’s arm was casually placed over his shoulder, pulling him into the large demons side. “Yeah Red?” He tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice, and thankfully he actually did it. It’s harder this time since Hellboy is only wearing a thin black T-Shirt . “I was wondering. That ‘Comic but not a comic’ thing you read. Does that make you a closet nerd, or?” John jokingly punched him, but shrugged. “I think that counts as something else? Anyways, about…” Hellboy watched him closely from the corner of his eye as he took a large gulp of his beer, nearly finishing it. His eyebrows slowly rose as he looked at him “‘About’?” It was a clear question that they both knew was loaded bait. They knew what was coming next.

John felt the anxiety chewing at his mind already. “A-About what you were going to ask” His heart was pumping in his chest so hard that he wouldn’t be surprised if Hellboy could hear it. “I don’t really know what you mean by that” The stress of this conversation (That’s barely even started, remind you) is already chipping away at his courage. The more he says, the less sense it makes. That’s how its always been with him. He’d always know what to do, he’d have a plan even, but when it came to feelings and emotional stuff, he’d either shut down or go crazy. Right now was  _ not _ the time to do either of those things. He needed to sort this out with Hellboy and see what they can do. He also wants to see how this plays out. While it was a lie when he said he didn’t know what he meant, there was still some truth to it. By ‘Be with’ did he mean… Dating? Or did he just not want to be separated with John again. “Well, what I meant was if you’d like to go out” He said as if it wasn’t a big deal, trying to hide how nervous he was.

When John didn’t respond, he continued “Ya know, when two people like each other and-” John cut in without thinking twice, “Do you even like me?” usually when a crush liked him back, he’d say yes in an instance, but since Hellboy has… Different circumstances, he really doesn’t know if he just wants to fool around or if he’s wanting a serious relationship. ‘What if I’m just a rebound?’ Yeah, him and Liz were a thing two years ago but he doesn’t have that much access to dating, or people in general. Hellboy's arm stiffened around his shoulder, signalling the hesitance in whatever he was going to say next. “I-I… Don’t know” That was a good sign, but John doesn’t just want to be an experimental disaster for Hellboy. He doesn’t want to be used purely for the fact that Hellboy might have a thing for guys, what John wants is real love, and as cheesy as that sounds, it’s understandable. “Look” He said with a pinch of irritation as he removed Hellboy’s arm from his shoulder. “I don’t want to be some replacement for someone you can’t have, ok? I get that I said I liked you first and all, but that does not mean you can try and date me because I’m the only choice you have left” At this point, he didn’t care if he made sense, he just wanted Red to know that he wanted a serious relationship, not just a fuck buddy. “What- Wait, John, that’s not what I meant-” John cut in once more, not really caring about what he had to say. “Look, how about we sort this out after the mission is over?” That was a lie. If he was honest, he said that in hopes of Hellboy forgetting all of this once they got back to the Bureau, but knowing Red, the possibility of that happening is really low. 

Whatever happened to pretending that nothing ever happened? “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m really tired, so I’m going to head to bed now.” Another lie, but he supposes it was the best thing to say to avoid any further conversation. So they both went to their designated bunks and tried their best to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me. I'm sorry I posted late! It won't happen again (maybe)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for leaving y'all on a cliffhanger, I just thought it would be a perfect part to leave off.


End file.
